Sains Malaysiana 51(5)(2022): 1487-1504 http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5105-18 ABSTRACT Previous studies showed the ability of Dillenia suffruticosa to inhibit the growth of cancer cells by means of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, thus validating the traditional use of the plant in treating cancer. Therefore, the present study was designed to isolate and elucidate the bioactive compounds responsible for the anticancer properties of D. suffruticosa extract. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the most potent fractions of DCM and EtOAc extract of D. suffruticosa was performed via column chromatography followed by purification using preparative HPLC. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by NMR spectroscopy. Biological experiment by MTT assay and a series of column chromatography resulted in the isolation of three triterpene compounds. However, only the structure of compound (3) was confirmed as 1-isopropenyl-4α, 4β, 8, 10, 14-pentamethyl-icosahydro-cyclopenta[a]chrysen...

Sains Malaysiana 51(5)(2022): 1475-1485 http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5105-17 ABSTRACT Syzygium polyanthum has been used as folk medicine to treat ailments related to oxidative stress and inflammation. In this study, the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of stem bark and root bark of the plant were investigated. The experiments that have been carried out were estimation of total phenolic and total flavonoid in the methanol extracts and fractions of both parts, isolation and structure elucidation of chemical compounds, anti-inflammatory activity evaluation based on inhibition of prostaglandin E2 production in the LPS-induced human whole blood using radioimmunoassay technique as well as antioxidant activity based on assays by using free radical scavenging DPPH and FRAP. Results showed high amounts of phenolics and flavonoids in both parts of S. polyanthum. Seven compounds were succesfully isolated from the stem bark and identified as stigmasterol (1), 8-hydroxy-6-methoxy-3-pe...

Sains Malaysiana 51(5)(2022): 1465-1473 http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5105-16 ABSTRACT Actinobacteria produce active secondary metabolite with medicinal properties, such as antibacterial or anticancer. However, there are some reports about the difficulties in discovering novel secondary metabolites. Therefore, the need for a new approach is obvious. Several factors such as types of nutrients in the culture media or different solvents used for extraction have been proven to influence the Actinobacteria secondary metabolite production. In this study, a combination of culture media optimization and metabolites fingerprint analysis were applied to identify antimycobacterial active compounds from Actinobacteria (InaCC A758). Five culture media were used in the secondary metabolite production of the Actinobacteria. The metabolite fingerprinting was carried out by analyzing the secondary metabolite profile extracted from culture media optimization using UPLC-MS. Multivariate analysis, i.e....

Sains Malaysiana 51(5)(2022): 1449-1464 http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5105-15   ABSTRACT This research aimed to investigate the potential of ascorbic acid (Asc) to act independently as an osteogenic induction factor in a murine pre-osteoblast (MC3T3-E1) model. MC3T3-E1 cells were seeded in culture wells and hydroxyapatite scaffold for two-dimensional and three-dimensional analyses respectively. Cell morphology, viability, osteoblast differentiation, and mineralisation potentials of MC3T3-E1 cells were compared between induction of standard (50 µg/mL) and doubled (100 µg/mL) Asc concentrations in growth media. Cells with fibroblast-like morphology became confluent earlier on day 6 in the standard group compared to the doubled group on day 9. Cell viability and differentiation potential were significantly increased in the doubled group (p < 0.01). Mineralisation occurred in the doubled group after 15 days of seeding but no mineralisation was seen in the standard group. Findings...

Sains Malaysiana 51(5)(2022): 1437-1447 http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5105-14 ABSTRACT Angiogenesis is the process of generating new blood vessels that deliver tumor cells with oxygen and essential nutrients for growth and metastasis. This study examined the in vitro antiangiogenic properties of the ethanolic crude extract from Vernonia amygdalina (VA) grown in Malaysia. The direct antiangiogenic activity of VA was evaluated on EA.hy926 cells using in vitro assessments: Cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and cell invasion assays. VA ethanolic crude extract cytotoxic activity was evident in the antiproliferative and colony formation assays. The growth inhibition (IC50) of 50% against EA.hy926 endothelial cells was achieved after 72 h treatment at a concentration of 85.43±3.57 µg/mL. Upon 48 h treatment, colony formation was inhibited completely at 100 µg/mL while 51.94% inhibition was achieved at 50 µg/mL. Moreover, the extract showed 54.72% and 31.99% inhibitory effect...

Sains Malaysiana 51(5)(2022): 1425-1436  http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5105-13   ABSTRACT Cells isolated from skin have wide applications in studies of the pathogenesis of skin-related diseases and the construction of 3D skin equivalents. This study aimed to isolate keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and melanocytes from human foreskin and characterize the purity of the cell types. Keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and melanocytes from human foreskin were isolated by differential trypsinization and media selection. The purity of the cell types was characterized based on the expression of gene markers. The assessment of gene marker expression involved RNA extraction, primer design, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and immunocytochemical staining. Our results showed that in cocultures of keratinocytes and fibroblasts isolated from the dermis, fibroblasts could be separated from keratinocytes by quick trypsinization and culture in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium. The remain...

Sains Malaysiana 51(5)(2022): 1411-1424 http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5105-12   ABSTRACT Bioactive compound from essential oils of Alpinia malaccensis(AM) and Kaempferia galanga (KG) rhizomes, respectively, such as methyl cinnamate and ethyl-p-methoxycinnamate (EPMS) have been reported to have anti-inflammatory activity. The present study aimed to determine the topical anti-inflammatory activity of 3 gel formulations (Formula 1, 2 and 3) having different concentrations of essential oil from AM and KG rhizomes. The gelling agent used in this study was Carbopol 934. The physicochemical parameters of the gel formulations such as organoleptic, pH, viscosity, and spreadability as well as hedonic test were also examined. The anti-inflammatory activity assay was carried out using the carrageenan induced rat paws edema method. The chemical composition of AM and KG rhizomes was identified by GC-MS with LRI index. The major essential oils content in AM and KG rhizome was methyl cinnamate ...

Sains Malaysiana 51(5)(2022): 1399-1410 http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5105-11 ABSTRACT Cellulose is a carbohydrate polymer that is readily available from plant and produced by variety of bacteria such as Komagataeibacter xylinus through fermentation. However, bacterial cellulose has higher purity and water holding capacity than plant-based cellulose and can potentially be used as an active gel in food applications such as anti-browning gel. Expired cordial drinks could be an excellent fermentation medium for bacterial cellulose production due to its high sugar content and simultaneously mitigate wastewater issues. Therefore, the objective of this research was to produce bacterial cellulose as anti-browning gels from expired cordial drinks in fresh apple juice model system. The first stage of the study was to compare the production of bacterial cellulose from expired cordial drinks without and with the addition of yeast extract. Results of cordial with the addition of yeast extract s...

Sains Malaysiana 51(5)(2022): 1385-1398 http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5105-10 ABSTRACT A series of metal modified dolomite catalysts (10%Ni-20%Cu/Dol, 10%Co-20%Cu/Dol, 10%Fe-20%Cu/Dol, 10%Zn-20%Cu/DolNi) were synthesized via method of impregnation, later calcined at 500 ℃ and reduced by 5%H2 at 600 ℃. Those catalysts were formerly tested for their physico-chemical properties by BET, BJH, XRD, H2 - TPR, NH3 –TPD, CO2 -TPD and SEM, and followed by evaluation in catalytic performance of glycerol hydrogenolysis to 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PDO). Among the examined catalysts, 10%Ni-20%Cu/Dol showed optimum hydrogenolysis activity owing to the good copper-nickel-dolomite interaction. The outcomes from the characterizations disclosed that the presence of nickel-copper species which principally enriched on dolomite surface thereby enhanced the properties of the catalyst in terms of good metal reducibility along with the presence of adequate catalyst acidity. All the good features of 10%Ni-20%Cu...

Sains Malaysiana 51(5)(2022): 1373-1383 http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5105-09 ABSTRACT This study investigated the changes of plasma absorbed components in rats after oral administration of hederagenin. Serum pharmacochemistry analysis of hederagenin was carried out to understand the changes of its metabolic components in the body. Biological samples were collected and then the migration components of hederagenin-containing serum were established by UPLC/Q-TOF-MS technique. Possible metabolites were obtained for comprehensive analysis through relevant studies and the regulation of broken bonds in the molecular structure of hederagenin. At about 10.262 min, the molecular ion peak of the hederagenin of M/Z 471[M-H]- was detected in negative ion mode and the prototype product and its associated fragment ions could be detected only at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 h after administration. Seventy-one signal peaks of potential metabolites were found in the drug serum. Based on the bond energy c...

Sains Malaysiana 51(5)(2022): 1363-1372 http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5105-08 ABSTRACT Anabas testudineus is a sturdy freshwater fish that can live in a polluted environment due to the epidermal mucus (EM) that protects the fish from pathogens or germs. This study explored the functional properties of the EM as a potential antimicrobial and anticancer agent. Inactive Pseudomonas aeruginosa was introduced into fish tanks to stimulate the production of EM. This stimulus significantly increased EM production by more than 100% after 10 days of stimulation, indicating that EM production was influenced by environmental biotic stress. In vitro antibacterial activity tests showed that EM has significant antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (12 ± 0.23 mm) and P. aeruginosa (10 ± 0.13 mm) at the tested concentration of 1000 μg/mL. Further characterisation against cells showed that EM has a cytotoxic effect against human breast cancer (MCF7) and human melanoma (A375.S2) producing an...

Sains Malaysiana 51(5)(2022): 1353-1362 http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5105-07 ABSTRACT Zinc oxide nanoparticle (ZnO NP) has become a popular choice in nanomedicine and in the treatment of infections. The present study investigated the sensitivity of Proteus vulgaris to ZnO NPs. The bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects on P. vulgaris were determined by using turbidity and colony count methods. The oxidative stress induced by the treatment of ZnO NPs was evaluated by investigating the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) along with lipid peroxidation (LP) analysis. The results showed the highest bacterial growth inhibition of 76.21±1.91 and 87.49±3.29% determined using the turbidity and colony count methods, respectively. The highest oxidative stress effects were observed in P. vulgaris exposed to 100 µg/mL of ZnO NPs for 24 h as shown by 510.90±108.53% increase in ROS production and 328.77±44.36% increase in LP level. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT...

Sains Malaysiana 51(5)(2022): 1339-1352 http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5105-06 ABSTRACT The total microbial diversity and community in submerged sediments near mining sites, transition and intact sites at Cikidang River, Banten were assessed using 16S rDNA sequence data and biodiversity indices. Assessed water quality parameters in the river were water current, dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, redox potential, salinity, temperature and turbidity. Microbial alpha diversity used were Shannon diversity index, ChaoI index and Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs). These analyses indicated a total of 50 taxa of sediment microbes. Based on Shannon diversity index, the highest value was observed at mining site. High abundant microbes in sediments at mining sites for phylum, class, order, family and genera levels were represented by Proteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Pseudomonadales, Moraxellaceae, and Acinetobacter, respectively. In contrast, high abundant microbes in the sediment of the intact si...

Sains Malaysiana 51(5)(2022): 1325-1337 http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5105-05   ABSTRACT The development of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria has created a push for new treatments, with honeys (especially Manuka) becoming a common focus due to their strong antimicrobial action. However, alternatives to Manuka are necessary, as its production is vulnerable. Additionally, research is lacking on how honey affect facultative anaerobic bacteria grown in anaerobic conditions and how honey and antibiotics interact in these conditions. In order to understand these interactions and find novel honey candidates, we investigated the antibacterial effects of four honeys (two Manuka, one Chilean and one ‘Santa Cruz’ honeydew honey) against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa grown aerobically and anaerobically in broth cultures, and how the honeys affected the action of common antibiotics against these bacteria using agar diffusion assays. We found all honeys to be hig...

Sains Malaysiana 51(5)(2022): 1317-1324 http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5105-04 ABSTRACT Pumpkin or squash is an economically important crop that is moderately sensitive to salinity but how its growth is affected by soil salinity is poorly understood. Salinity stress on physiological and anatomical traits of Cucurbita moschata ‘Butternut’ was investigated under hydroponic culture using Hoagland’s solution with various NaCl concentrations (0, 25, 50, 75, 100, and 150 mM) for four weeks. The results showed that pumpkin growth characters decreased after cultured in various NaCl concentrations. Leaf number, leaf width, leaf length, root number, stem height, stem diameter, green intensity in terms of SPAD units, chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv’/Fm’, Fv/Fm), total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b contents significantly (p < 0.05) decreased after culture in various NaCl concentrations. Salinity stress impacted fiber layer thickness, vascular bundle size and vessel diameter of tre...

Sains Malaysiana 51(5)(2022): 1305-1315 http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5105-03 ABSTRACT Sawdust (SD) usually sourced from rubber plant is commonly used as substrate to cultivate the grey oyster mushroom Pleurotus sajor-caju in Malaysia. However, the market price of SD is increasing because of its declining availability. Thus, this study aimed to discover an alternative substrate to cultivate grey oyster mushroom. The raw materials used in the substrate were oil palm pressed fiber (PPF), rice straw (RS) and SD, either alone or in combination with different ratios including T1: 90% SD + 10% rice bran (commercial substrate as control); T2: 30% RS + 20% SD + 50% PPF; T3: 50% RS + 50% PPF; T4: 100% RS; and T5: 100% PPF. The suitability of the substrates was determined based on growth, yield, nutrition and mineral content in the mushrooms. The growth and yield of the mushroom fruiting body on the different substrates showed significant differences. The shortest harvesting day was obtained ...

Sains Malaysiana 51(5)(2022): 1293-1303 http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5105-02 ABSTRACT We monitored the reproductive morphology of the female and male Golden tree snake, Chrysopelea ornata. The females and males were collected during a year from Ao Nang, Muang Krabi, Krabi province, a southern part of Thailand. We investigated the female and male reproductive systems via anatomical and histological approaches. The results demonstrated that the reproductive tracts of females and males were located above the kidney and its right tract was more anteriorly than the left tract. Ovarian follicles were classified into the previtellogenic, early vitellogenic, and late vitellogenic follicles. Previtellogenic follicles were contained three types of cells in the multi-layered granulosa layer: small, intermediate, and large pyriform cells. This such layer becomes the single layer in which the pyriform cells were disappeared in the vitellogenic follicles. Various stages including corpora lutea, ...